what to buy

Junior Member

Im new to rv and have a 2000 monaco 38 ft pusher with 315hp diplomat mostly loaded with 57000 miles or a 2000 allegro bay pusher with the 35 ft and a 275hp and 72000 miles that is cheaper does anyone know what is the better brand here please help with any insight thanks

Senior Member

My previous coach was a 00 Diplomat (38A) and it was a well built coach with plenty of giddyup. If you have any specific questions concerning that year Diplomat feel free to fire away.

I'm not partial to any make motorhome both the Allegro and Diplomat are good coaches manufactured by different companies. I think it will be come more obvious which one to buy once you get in and check the floorplan out to see which works best for you. There is a huge difference in the chassis, suspension systems in those two coaches so drive them on country roads, and interstates to see which suits you best.

Jeff

Forgot make sure that you are looking at the same transmissions. Some of the ISB 275 were mated to the Allison 2000 series transmissions which are 5 spd whereas the ISC was mated to the Allison 3000 seriestransmissions which are 6 spd.

Junior Member

vanole what if any were the trouble spots with the monaco for me to look at that seems to be the way im leaning after researching the allegro and to find out it was only a spring ride and the monaco will be a air ride also have you been around a 1995 fleetwood american dream mode; with a cummins 39ft no slide and i believe its a narrow body which i think will hurt resale let me know what you think

Senior Member

I also would lean to the Monaco I have the Holiday Rambler=Diplomat and like it very well. No real stand out problems but all coaches have some problems. Check the tire date and batteries as these as a combination can run up to $4000. Tires should be replaced at 7 to 10 years and tread has nothing to do with the replacement. Batteries at most 5 years but can run a bit longer IF taken care of. Which ever coach you decide on, have a pro inspect it you will save money.

Junior Member

Len, both are great Rv's. It really comes down to RV maintenance and condition, hopefully they have the records available. Also, keep in mind almost every used RV, even brand new, will need something done to it or isnt working properly. Thats just the nature of RV ownership. I happen to be a RV broker so let me know if I can help out in anyway. I can see if I can find any information out about the two you are considering. Let me know, thanks and goodluck.

Senior Member

That is why I mentioned the chassis and suspension without sounding like a homer. The 8 bag ride is nice on the Dip.

Not sure what model Dip you are looking at. My previous one was the 38A single slide. Problems I had with the coach were:

- Drivers side slide window seal let go and the window fogged. Got it fixed in Hudson Florida for $230.
- Had an issue with the tile in two places. Facing the fridge in the lower left hand corner tile cracked I fixed and had no mor issues. Second area was by the pocket door to the right of the fridge. There is a tile joint their that the mortar always seemed to crumble I futzed with that for years. By no means a show stopper.
- Dashboard defroster grates started breaking from sun exposure in 06. You can replace them for around $4 each. There is a source MSR in Washington state.
- My dash panel had some cracks in it. Think the screws were over torqued. I loosend them a tad and that stopped the cracking. Their is a source to replace if needed PROTOFAB in Indiana.

Definitely have the coach inspected. The M/H is built like a tank and the cabnets are solid wood not wrapped and the hardware was first rate. Lots of storage space inside and in the basement.

The inverter is manufactured by TRACE and they are out of business parts are scarce so make sure the inspection looks at both sides of that. New inverters are not cheap.

Most likely still has the 4 button AC thermostat which Duotherm left folks high and dry on. Their is a fix a gent in CO repairs them. I had it done and worked great. My son in law bought the M/H from me and then replaced the boards and converted to a 5 button.

The Dip in 00 had an ozite ceiling so water marks should be obvious.

The factory installed hitch is rated at 5k lbs so keep that in mind for your TOAD. In 01 they went to a 10K hitch.